They will be included in 2018 flight of Orion andSpace Launch System NEA Scout will fly by a small asteroid, taking pictures and getting data Lunar Flashlight will illuminate moon's craters and measure surface ice BioSentinel will use yeast to measure the impact of deep space radiation

By Ellie Zolfagharifard For Dailymail.com

Published: 19:13 EST, 3 April 2015 | Updated: 06:41 EST, 4 April 2015

In 2018, Nasa will launch the Orion spacecraft using the largest, most powerful rocket booster ever built; the Space Launch System (SLS).

Tucked inside the stage adapter - the ring connecting Orion to the top propulsion stage of the SLS -will be 11 self-contained small satellites, each about the size of a large shoebox.

Now, the space agency has revealed three missions that will use these small satellites during the test flight to help develop technologies for astronauts travelling to deep space.

A concept image of the Near-Earth Asteroid Scout mission, one of 11 missions that will be secondary payloads to the first test flight of Nasa's Space Launch System

'Nasa is taking advantage of a great opportunity to conduct more science beyond our primary focus of this mission,' said Jody Singer manager of Nasa's Flight Programs and Partnerships Office.

'While this new vehicle will enable missions beyond Earth orbit, we're taking steps to increase the scientific and exploration capability of SLS by accommodating small, CubeSat-class payloads.'

The first is a Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout, using solar sail propulsion, will fly by a small asteroid, taking pictures and making observations.

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Nasa reveals experiments its mega rocket will carry on its first test flight